Monday, May 1, 2017

Anime Hair and Eye Color

OK, I'm not sure how well this all matches up with "reality". For instance, the chart below describes a character with pink hair as "Generally only seen in female characters, girls with pink hair are
cheerfully cute, often to the point of being downright obnoxious (as if you
needed hair color to pick up on that)." But this doesn't really fit for me as a description of Haruhara Haruko in FLCL. I mean, yeah, she totally can be obnoxious, bur cheerfully cute? Really?

One of the more unusual traits of
Anime and Manga is the varied and often unnatural hair colors. While the trend
was probably introduced one day by a bored colorist, it's taken on an casual
symbolism of its own, informed by the culture it developed in. While I think
the symbolism is still fairly consistent, there are certainly no hard rules to
this, so take my interpretations with grain of salt.

Here is a basic summary of what I've learned from browsing the web,
conversations with other fans, and by own brief stint watching anime:

Black: Neutral. generally positive connotations -- keep in mind that
this is the normal hair color in Japan; all other hair colors are
"unnatural" in that culture, and consequently somewhat suspicious.

Blonde: This hair color has two diametrically opposite interpretations,
although which one applies in a particular case should be relatively clear.

1.obvious power and intelligence.
often calculating and self-serving.

2.ditzy and immature. accident-prone.

in either case, blonde-haired characters usually mean
trouble.

Brown: Nothing screams "I'm a stock character" like having
brown hair. there are of course exceptions.

Red: In women, red hair generally connotes a brazen, confident character
-- often having special abilities. male characters with red hair tend to be
quiet and humble, but skilled fighters.
Grey: Grey hair usually connotes a character with a hidden power that will
be revealed later in the series. these characters are usually very intelligent
and often (although not always) evil.

White: On younger characters, full, white hair gives a sense of dignity
and style. on older characters, it may just mean they're ... well, old.

Blue: Likable characters. shy, sweet, smart, funny. one notable
exception is the Kento of Samurai Troopers (sometimes translated Ronin
Warriors), who is the exact opposite. Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion might be
another example. She's shy, but at least outwardly doesn't display most of the
other characteristics.
Green: These characters are usually good at heart, but misguided. Seen in
an antagonist, it often means the character will defect to the side of the
"good guys" by the end of the series. Sympathetic characters (good
guys) tend to be rogue-ish but goodhearted.

Mononoke Hime didn't really divide most of the characters into a "good
guys" and "bad guys" (with some exceptions), but I think this
interpretation can still be applied to San in an oblique sense.

Pink: Generally only seen in female characters, girls with pink hair are
cheerfully cute, often to the point of being downright obnoxious (as if you
needed hair color to pick up on that).

Purple: Your guess is as good as mine; there just aren't that many examples to work from. characters tend to be upbeat, but other than that, it's hard to generalize.

Sailor Moon - Viz Media

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then there's eye-color. You be the judge...

Eye Color Chart by ~altered-worlds on deviantART

More depictions of anime hair colors. This one from someone calling themselves 'The Great Storm'.

Eye color seems to be (allegedly connected to the emotion the character is experiencing.

I usually read more of that (in real people) by the shape and size of their pupils. But color is probably easier to read, and if there's a reliable code for what each color means, I suppose that works.

I'll have to pay more attention to how that shows up in my future viewings of anime.

Kuro of 'Tekkonkinkreet' must be the "exception" mentioned in the hair-color chart about brown-haired characters. Kuro's a loose cannon - although he does have a kind and caring side.

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About Me

This is a blog about what interests me. Here you will find stories on animals, including animal rights material, cute stuff, and random informative posts about weird, beautiful and interesting creatures. Horses, Spotted Hyenas, and Border Collies will make regular appearances.
Also prominently featured will be posts about the Arts. Animation, photography, and the traditional forms, plus "outsider art," film and books.
Other things that will surface here are Japan & the Japanese, John Oliver, surfing, skateboarding and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, interesting places and structures,and my own art, writing and photography.
There will be rants. It's an election year, and I am beginning to have a political dimension to my personality. I am also horrified at the level of injustice and violence visited upon people here in the US and elsewhere - particularly against people of color, immigrants, and the LGBT community. Some of these stories will be very hard to read, but I believe we must read them to keep ourselves mindful of the racist and vicious things that happen every day, to speak out when we see discrimination, and root out its evil from ourselves.